(1) No person other than a person who is enrolled in the State Register or the National Register, as the case may be, shall--
         (a) be allowed to practice Indian System of Medicine as a qualified practitioner;
         (b) hold office as a physician or surgeon or any other office, by whatever name called, which is meant to be held by a physician or surgeon, as the case may be;
         (c) be entitled to sign or authenticate a medical or fitness certificate or any other certificate required by any law to be signed or authenticated by a duly qualified medical practitioner;
         (d) be entitled to give evidence at any inquest or in any court of law as an expert under section 45 of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 (1 of 1872) on any matter relating to Indian System of Medicine:
         Provided that the Commission shall submit a list of such practitioners to the Central Government in such manner as may be prescribed:
         Provided further that a foreign citizen who is enrolled in his country as a practitioner of Indian System of Medicine in accordance with the law regulating the registration of such practitioners in that country may be permitted temporary registration in India for such period and in such manner as may be specified by regulations.
     (2) Any person who acts in contravention of the provisions of this section shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine which may extend to five lakh rupees, or with both.
     (3) Nothing contained in this section shall affect--
         (a) the right of a person enrolled in a State Register as practitioner of Indian System of Medicine to practice in any State merely on the ground that he does not possess, as on the date of commencement of this Act, a recognised medical qualification in the Indian System of Medicine;
         (b) the privileges, including the right to practice any system of medicine, conferred by or under any law for the time being in force in a State on the practitioners of Indian System of Medicine enrolled in the State register of that State;
         (c) the right of a person who has been practicing Indian System of Medicine for not less than five years in a State, to continue to practice in that State in which a State Register of Indian System of Medicine is not maintained as on the date of commencement of this Act.